However, it could be a blessing in disguise for United if Marchisio does wish to remain at the Old Lady, considering David Moyes' club don't have the best track record when it comes to making long-term successes out of their Italian signings.

Among the players to have shown some promise but eventually amount to little at Old Trafford are Giuseppe Rossi, Federico Macheda, Massimo Taibi, Rodrigo Possebon and Carlo Sartori.

With that being said, Marchisio is an altogether more experienced asset than any Italian the club has had before, but the promise to turn the Red Devils' season around still isn't there.

Serie A's demands are far different to that of the Premier League in that the often languid approach is something of a far cry from the fast, relentless design of the English top flight.

Would Marchisio be a good use of Manchester United's money?

Yes, he's well worth a £20 million investment.No chance, there's far better alternatives for that sum.Submit Votevote to see results

Would Marchisio be a good use of Manchester United's money?

Yes, he's well worth a £20 million investment.

64.7%

No chance, there's far better alternatives for that sum.

35.3%

Total votes: 1,845

To an extent, Marchisio thrives in the former. According to Squawka, the 27-year-old boasts a passing accuracy of 86 percent from his 14 appearances this term, just three percent less than that of the maestro Pirlo.

Considering his profile as a holding midfielder, the player's tackling success of less than 50 percent isn't entirely encouraging, nor is the fact that he's already given away 20 fouls this term.

That lack of physical dominance isn't what United need right now, and it's plausible that this aspect of Marchisio's game would only suffer further if he were to move to England, where a player's work rate off the ball is so critical.

Despite his drop in playing time this term, The Guardian's Paolo Bandini insists there's still a future in Turin for Marchisio:

@Mats90Norway Pogba has replaced him in Conte's first-choice XI. Doesn't mean that Marchisio won't find room in team on regular basis.

That's not to say Italy isn't to be praised for the general understanding of tactical nuance that's on show with a lot of Serie A managers, but there's better ways that Moyes' millions can be spent as of this moment.

Europe has been the perfect arena to showcase this lack of physical understanding, where Juve have found themselves undone when coming up against the continent's big guns in the Champions League.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Vidal would be a better example of a player who has a better understanding of this facet of the Premier League's demands, but then, the Chilean has the advantage of being schooled differently from his days with Bayer Leverkusen.

Right now, United would be wise to concentrate their funds elsewhere, lest they find Marchisio following the example of MarouaneFellaini, falling short of the mark.